Bookshop by Uro
(This is) Air: A conversation with Nic Brunsdon, Mark Jacques and James Ogilvie
Join us for an evening of discussion about the creation of the 2023 NGV commission by Nic Brunsdon – (This is) Air.
Titled for Nic Brunsdon’s 2023 NGV Architecture Commission of the same name, (This is) Air is a book about one of the defining experiences of life on earth: breathing air. It is about air as matter to be harnessed and protected; air as agent; air as a tool of resistance and disruption. Bringing together new writing, process materials and photographic documentation, the book offers timely consideration of urgent ecological, civic and political questions about the relationship between architecture and experiences of air.
Brunsdon’s installation, which has only just come down from public display, took the form of a large-scale sphere that inhales (inflates) and exhales (deflates) air in a natural rhythm – its total volume approximating the consumption of one human across one year. Eschewing typological norms and harnessing air itself as a building material, the work makes the invisible visible, felt and heard, and reminds us of our interdependency.
Join host and contributor Mark Jacques (Openwork) for a conversation with Brunsdon and project director James Ogilvie (ENESS) as they delve into their insights from the book and the making of the work itself, covering questions of site, materiality, engineering and technical innovation. A retrospective look at the commission process – from ideation and early design to realisation, reception and critique – this discussion will explore the nature and value of public architecture commissions, the nuances of concept development, design process and production, and the possibilities of self-starting as interdisciplinary practitioners.
Venue
Perry Street Building
Collingwood Yards
Collingwood, 3066
Accessibility
Floor access to the Perry Street Building can be made via the following paths. From 30A Perry Street, a footpath leads to the retail area of Perry St (UG) and courtyard. The Perry Street Lift can be accessed via 30A and 30B Perry Street, allowing access to levels 1 and 2 of Perry Street Building. From Johnston Street access to Perry St Building can be made by crossing the courtyard.
Accessible toilets are located in three areas within the Perry Street Building. On the Upper Ground Level (Level UG) the accessible toilets are located in the service corridor in the northern part of the Building. near the staircase. These toilets are open throughout event hours. On L1 and L2 the toilets are located in the northern part of the building, behind heavy manual blue double doors. All accessible toilets are equipped with manual locks, exit buttons and grab rails.